The Cats Estate

A new chapter is about to written for the storied Cats estate in Los Gatos--but at this point no one knows who will write it or how it will end. The historic estate is up for sale for $8.95 million, all 75 acres, plus three 1920s era buildings known as the main house, the gatehouse and the poet's cottage.

The estate is owned by the Ogilvie family, whose matriarch, Diane Ogilvie, died in late 2011. Diane and her husband Bruce, who died earlier, bought the property in 1960 and added about 50 acres to the estate in the ensuing years.

To developers, the prospect of so much acreage near downtown Los Gatos may be appealing, but Diane Ogilvie's heirs hope the new owners will preserve the estate's historic past. Also, any development of the property would be subject to Los Gatos' restrictive hillside development policies.

Listing agent Duane Adam of Sotheby's International points out that some of the land is actually in unincorporated Santa Clara County.

"The Cats has one foot in Los Gatos and one foot in the county," Adam said.

To locals, the Cats is best known for the statues of Leo and Leona, the unofficial town mascots that stand just outside a wrought iron gate leading into the estate. Leo and Leona are well-known tourist attractions that can be seen by drivers heading over the hill on southbound Highway 17.

Once past the front gate, a private road leads visitors to the Gate House that was built in 1929 for the estate's caretakers. It features original Mexican pavers, hand-painted kitchen tiles, a bathroom with a blue and green Fleur de Lys floor mosaic and a picnic area on the roof.

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"The views are amazing," Adam said. "They've tried to keep it as original as possible."

That means there's carpeting in some rooms where the original flooring wore out, but the idea of getting it ready for sale was to maintain the old-fashioned ambience as much as possible.

The old-fashioned construction is evident throughout the estate: Buildings are made from concrete, with cinder block walls in the main house's bedrooms, a sun room with a kitchen and original fixtures throughout.

"It's solid as a rock," Adam said.

Tandem Ogilvie-Hayden, Diane's granddaughter, added, "After the 1989 earthquake, we came home that night and slept here."

The Cats was built by writer Charles Erskine Scott Wood and poet Sara Bard Field, who turned the original 34-acre property into an artists' haven: Charlie Chaplin and John Steinbeck were among those who visited the estate when Wood and Field were in residence. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt also paid a visit.

C.E.S.Wood, who was married when he and Field built their love nest, put the property in her name when he purchased it. Wood died in 1944. Eleven years later Field decided to put the estate on the market. She sold it in 1955 to oil magnate Fred Hampton, who in turn sold it to the Ogilvies in 1960. "Hampton had it for five years ,and my understanding is Diane charmed him into selling it to her," Ogilvie-Hayden said.

Ogilvie-Hayden, who is 30 years old and teaches at Daves Avenue Elementary School, grew up on the property. "My favorite game as a kid was to go live on the mountain for a day," she said. "I have many secret hiding places around here. I'd leave in the morning and come back at dinner time."

Ogilvie-Hayden said the estate was a great gathering place for birthdays, weddings and holiday celebrations. Many of those parties took place in the courtyard that's just off the main house. It features mosaic flooring in some areas, an unusual fire pit, a gazebo, a fountain, abundant fruit trees and dynamic artwork. The estate's many historic art pieces are included in the sale price, including original art salvaged from the old Fox Theater in Oakland.

Since Erskine and Wood were artists, unusual statuary can be seen throughout the property. One concrete piece that was designed in 1929 says, "Peace Meditation Solitude."

"Here we are doing all this yoga and meditation today, and they were doing it back then," Ogilvie-Hayden said.

Ogilvie-Hayden has lived in each of the three main buildings at one time or another and is considered the family historian.

"This had a way of bringing our family together," she said. "We didn't have to go anywhere. Your park was here and your garden was here. When I was a kid, it was also a full, working ranch."

Up the road from the main house, the poet's cottage appears. It has a kitchen and two main rooms that are separated by a breezeway. Ogilvie-Hayden says Wood and Field would work separately in their respective rooms, meet for lunch in the breezeway, then close their doors and return to work.

Beams in the cottage's work rooms have poems carved into them, one of which reads, "There are hills for all/There are oaks for all/And the airy blue covers the world."

"Airy blue" is no exaggeration:The cottage has views of town and the valley that most Los Gatans have never seen. "Whoever buys this has to see the dream and the vision," Ogilvie-Hayden said.

There is a group in town that has the vision and is trying to get a wealthy sponsor who is interested in saving the Cats for posterity, perhaps as an arts, social justice and environmental center.

The Friends of the Cats Committee has six active members, including the original poet's relative, Sara Wood Smith, and Museums of Los Gatos executive director John Agg.

"There's a cultural history to the Cats estate that includes writers, artists, dancers and poets," Agg said. "They were all well-known people, so how do we preserve that?"

The committee has contacted open space and land conservancy organizations about preserving the land as well. "We're practical enough to know it can be parceled out," Agg said.

Adam understands the desire to maintain the Cats. He spent much of last summer photographing the estate and has produced three videos for his website that show it off in all its glory. "It's easy to understand why there have only been [three] owners in more than 80 years," Adam said. "Nobody ever wants to leave this enchanting place."

Visit duaneadam.com to view the videos of the Cats and for more information.